THE SNOW WHITE`S CHARACTER`S TRANSFORMATION IN

THE SNOW WHITE’S CHARACTER’S TRANSFORMATION
IN “SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS” AND “MIRROR
MIRROR” SEEN FROM FEMINIST THEORY
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the requirement for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Oei, Ike Anggraini
112009002
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
i
THE SNOW WHITE’S CHARACTER’S TRANSFORMATION
IN “SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS” AND “MIRROR MIRROR”
SEEN FROM FEMINIST THEORY
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Oei, Ike Anggraini
112009002
Approved by:
Suzana Maria L.A F., M.Hum.
Anna Sriastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum.
Supervisor
Examiner
ii
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In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide SWCU with a non-exclusive royalty free
right for my intellectual property and the contents therein entitled:
THE SNOW WHITE’S CHARACTER’S TRANSFORMATION IN “SNOW WHITE AND
THE SEVEN DWARFS” AND “MIRROR MIRROR” SEEN FROM FEMINIST THEORY
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: May 22, 2013
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Suzana Maria L.A F., M.Hum.
Anna Sriastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum.
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Copyright@ 2013. Oei, Ike Anggraini and Suzana Maria L.A F., M. Hum.
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iv
Anggraini |1
THE SNOW WHITE'S CHARACTER'S TRANSFORMATION IN "SNOW
WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS" AND "MIRROR MIRROR" SEEN FROM
FEMINIST THEORY
Oei, Ike Anggraini
Abstract
Film is one of literary works which most of people from different ages love to enjoy it.
Literary works also take parts in our character building. What we see and what we hear will
affect the way we think and see on something. Those who enjoy watching the Princesses
stories like Snow White, for example, may not recognize that they are influenced by the
princess's characters to imitate her. The imitating that the viewers done unconsciously may
lead them to think that girls or women have to behave like the princess in the films. In this
study the writer attempts to give a popular point of view toward the people about their
standards what women should be like. By applying Feminism theory, the writer attempts to
show that women are not supposed to act like the way they see women on films. The writer
will compare the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Mirror Mirror film; both of
which narrate the concept of snow white's story. While the character Snow White in
conventional Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film is weak or dependent, the character
Snow White in the Mirror Mirror is on the opposite. She is independent, brave, wants to
learn new things, and she fights for her life and love. The writer will also put some evidences
to show that the female character in the Mirror Mirror film should be seen as a popular point
of view toward women.
Keywords: Feminist theory, princess characteristic
Introduction
Film is a part of literary products that we can find in our daily life. In the modern era like
today, film can be found easily. Before film appears, a drama performance is the first form of
it. Drama performances should only act correctly in a performance; they could not retake the
scene if they did a mistake while they performing. They would do the performance in a big
hall which could handle many audiences in it. However as the time goes by, the drama
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performance was transformed to be a film which actually spends some time to produce it as a
perfect performance for the audience. Now we can enjoy drama performance in a different
way, we can watch it from our home or film theatre which is more modern, we do not need to
go to the drama hall and watch the drama performance which may cost more money to see a
drama performance. Film itself has various genres from romantic, thriller, comedy, drama,
and etc. it is also can be seen and enjoyed by all spheres.
Each film is created with intention to certain viewers; for example a cartoon film, this
kind of films mostly are imaginary stories and sometime we can find funny things inside the
story and the viewers mostly are child or romantic film for teenagers or adults. Through
literary works people also deliver feelings, moral values and others. Storey (3) said that film
is an expression of an art which is able to bring the moral value to the viewers. Therefore, the
film producers will not only make a film without putting something to learn from it but also
make an entertaining film so everyone can enjoy the film. The point of a film is to deliver a
value, and at the same time it also should entertain to attract people to watch it. Therefore,
films are interesting to enjoy and watch if it is entertaining and have values to learn. Films
these days do not only contain story and values but also attract its viewers and that is one of
the reasons why people love to go to film theatre or stay at home and watch their favorite
films with their friends or family.
Mosher (8: 1) said that literature actually takes an important role in our live and
characters development. Because films are a part of literature work, it is also take part in our
character building. Because of films are audio-visual products it means that what we see and
what we hear can affect the way we think and see on something; so that film can be included
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in it. Films which unconsciously affect the way we think about life, the way we see on
something and etc, it will also become our standard for our live.
Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, and Tanner as cited in Sawyer (8) mentioned that
three themes emerged related to what it means to be a girl/woman: (a) A woman„s
appearance is valued more than her intellect; (b) Women are helpless and in need of
protection; (c) Women are domestic and likely to marry. Girls who watch princesses' stories
like Snow White, for example they may not recognize that they are imitating those princesses'
characters. They unconsciously will think that to become those princesses or women they
need to have princesses' characters like having slim body, beautiful face, big, bright and
round eyes, blue or green eyes, long, shiny and smooth hair, can sing and dance well, polite,
need to be saved by a prince or handsome guy, and many others. If they cannot complete
those standards, they are not yet beautiful women, and then slowly it becomes the society's
standards that women should be like the women characters in the films.
However, it is not only physical appearances that girls unconsciously imitate but also
their attitude like being a weak woman who cannot fight back to win their dreams, love, hope
and many others. Then the way the society treats women will be like in the film that women
should be like the weak princesses that always need to be helped, cannot fight for herself and
other princesses' characters.
There is a modern film which the main story is Snow White's story but this film producer
makes a little changing to the woman main character, it is called Mirror Mirror. This film
basically is not very different from the former Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film;
however, in this film the main woman character has developed from weak woman into strong
independent woman.
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As the writer mentioned earlier, films can influence its viewers, and unconsciously
society uses it to depict women characters through what they see in the film. From children's
films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for example, the viewers may not knowingly
that society or the film itself builds their thoughts about what women should be like. Here the
writer has two questions related to the problem that the writer state: 1). How does the female
lead character in the film Mirror Mirror differ from the conventional concept of snow white
story? 2). How does the transformation reflect the real society?
The objectives of this study are to find out the differences between the conventional Snow
White character in the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" film and in the film Mirror
Mirror and to find out how the transformation in the Mirror Mirror reflects the real society.
The writer will collect the data by reading some related books and articles related to the
topic and after that the writer will classifying the data according to the writer's need. The
significance of this study is to make a popular point of view toward women in the society that
actually women are not as weak as they have been constructed by the society. By doing this
study, the writer hopes that the readers will have a broader perspective on understanding
women characteristics and to empower women to be mentally and psychologically strong.
Scope of Study
The films that would be analyzed are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Mirror
Mirror. The element that will be discussed is the character and characteristics of Snow White
from both films. The writer chooses it because the writer attempts to give the readers an idea
about a popular mind set about women in the society. The theory will be used to analyze both
films is feminism theory focusing on second sex and sexual politics.
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The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative. Before the writer explains about
descriptive qualitative, the writer will explain about the descriptive research first. Descriptive
research method is a method that provides an answer to the questions of how something
happened and who was involved. Descriptive research provides a detailed profile of an event,
condition or situation using either quantitative, qualitative or a combination of methods. Data
gathering techniques such as field research and case studies are for qualitative descriptive
research. Then descriptive qualitative method is a method that provides answer of research
question using field research and case studies which answers how something happen and who
is involved.
Qualitative data is often gathered using field research. Field research involves selecting
an event, condition or situation to study, and observing and interacting with the event,
condition or situation in the field setting. In this study the data from both films Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs and Mirror Mirror will be in the form of pictures and these pictures
which are gathered will be the evidences to prove to the readers that there is a transformation
on the character Snow White from both films. The data gathering will be done by collecting
some scenes and also conversations from both films to show the transformation happen on
the character Snow White.
From this research, the writer expects that this study will empower the readers about their
self, also ensure the readers to believe the popular point of view about women that woman no
longer seen as weak, passive, dependent, and helpless woman anymore, but women are
strong, active, independent and brave. So that by having this point of view, women can see
their self in a better portrait in the patriarchal society. From this research the write also wants
to give a contribution in recent literature researches about women in the patriarchal society
seen from feminism scope.
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Theoretical Foundation
1. Feminism Theory
In this study Feminism theory will be applied to analyze the film Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs and Mirror Mirror because the writer thinks that there is a transformation on
Snow White's character in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Mirror Mirror which is
suitable to be scrutinized with feminist approach. The writer will also give some evidence to
prove that there is some transformation occurs to each woman character. The transformation
itself here means that the conventional Snow White with her characteristics is compared to
modern Snow White with her characteristics. According to the theory that the writer uses,
which is Feminism theory, the writer attempts to analyze the film Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs and Mirror Mirror which both films have the same Snow White character but their
characteristics are different one to another.
Feminism theory comes out as a result of the inequality that women face in the society.
Women were seen as the inferior to men and never can get what they deserve. Women were
also seen as an object for men to fill or get their needs. Then some of people started to make a
movement about to gain the equality for women in the society. Women movement in
America was started in the middle of 1800's until late 1800's even it was not the exact start of
the movement. However, in that year there were some works which discussed about women
inequality in the society.
According to Crossman, feminist theory is one of the major contemporary sociological
theories which analyze the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using that
knowledge to have better women's lives. She also stated four main types of feminist theory
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that attempt to explain the societal differences between men and women; those are gender
differences, gender inequality, gender oppression, and structural oppression. Feminism theory
is a theory which demands the equality for women in the society in some aspects like political,
economical, education, opportunities for women and other aspects.
Feminism theory which came out from feminist movements had aims to understand the
nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experience; it had
developed theories in a variety of disciplines in order to respond to issues such as the social
construction of sex and gender. This theory fought for women' rights and opportunities; that
actually they should receive from the society to be equal with man not under the men. With
this theory the writer hopes that can prove to the reader that women can be whatever they
want and even can fight for what she deserves to have.
2. Film and the characters
As the writer mentioned before that film is an expression of an art that is able to bring the
moral value to the viewers, so the producer will deliver the values not only from the story
only but also through the characters. The characters of a film are important part of the film, as
usually characters will influence the viewers to be a copy cat of their favorite characters. The
way viewers copy the characters can be their attitudes, physical appearance, the way the talk,
their fashion and etc. The writer will discuss about the princesses characteristics from both
films so that we can find out how the producer of the Princesses movies especially Disney
creates the princesses characters.
Sawyer (3) said that women are supposed to be beautiful, acquiescent, skinny, and
perform all the duties of a housewife, they do not hold jobs of their own and would not
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disobey direct orders. Those characteristics can be found in all Disney's princesses from
Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella in the Cinderella, Aurora in
Sleeping Beauty, Belle in the Beauty and the Beast, until Ariel in the Little Mermaid. Each
princess was depicted as a young woman who physically beautiful with their long smooth,
shiny hair, wide blue or brown eyes, slim body, be able to sing and dance well, fair skin, kind,
and generous.
However, most of the princesses of each film were depicted as helpless, passive,
submissive, weak and naïve princesses. They would cry when bad things happened to them,
they could not fight back to get their freedom, they also needed to be helped to solve their
problem and many more. For example in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Snow
White should be kissed by the Prince to make her awake. She also could not keep herself
from the old wicked woman who gave her the poisonous apple. She could refuse the old
wicked woman for the first offering but for the next offering she could not make it. She even
followed the old wicked woman‟s order to eat the apple which made her asleep. Aurora
should wait for the prince for quite long time to awake her from her long sleep. What she
could do is just waiting for the Prince to save her. Cinderella as the submissive character also
experienced it in the film. She only obeyed her step mother's orders and also her two step
sisters' orders without complaining or else. She was helped by the mice and other animals and
also the Fairy Godmother to meet the price in the ballroom dance party in the palace. Those
are the characteristics that we can find from Disney's princesses.
Based on what Disney's princesses were depicted in the movie, the producer accidentally
planted the Disney's princesses' characteristics to the viewers; as the writer mentioned earlier
that film will influence the viewers to be a copy cat of their favorite character. We can see
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that many little girls want to have clothes like princess characters they like even the parents
especially the mother will buy beautiful clothes like little-princess-like-gown for their girls.
Those Disney's princesses‟ films still exist until today, that means that for decades the films'
values are attached in the viewers' mind. What the producer of those princess film attempted
to plant in the viewers' mind were woman should be like they see in the film; which were
submissive, inferior to men, helpless, passive, weak, naïve and etc.
Data Analysis
1. Synopsis of the Films
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
This film was about a beautiful girl whose hair as black as ebony, her lips red as the rose,
and her skin white as snow" (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Her mother died when she
was still a baby, then her father married to a wicked widow who actually a queen. The queen
treated Snow White badly and Snow White's father did not know about it. Then to add Snow
White's miserable life, her father was dead, and she had to live alone with her step-mother.
The queen's obsession was to be the fairest lady in the land, but because Snow White's
beauty was above the queen's beauty, the queen made a plan to kill Snow White in order to
get what she really wanted to be. Soon after that, the queen asked her huntsman to go to
forest with Snow White and kill her there. However, the huntsman could not kill Snow White
and decided to set her free and asked her to run away. Snow White did what the huntsman
told her to do, she ran into the forest and found a small hunt which belongs to the seven
dwarfs then she decided to hide there.
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After hearing the Snow White's story, the dwarfs agree to let Snow White to stay there;
they also agree to keep Snow White safe from the queen. But the hiding was not success, the
queen finally knew that the huntsman failed to kill Snow White and the queen also knew that
Snow White lived with the dwarfs. So she turned herself to ugly old apple seller woman to
trick and kill Snow White. The second plan that the queen had planned and done it by herself
finally succeeds. Snow White was nearly death by the poisonous apple that the queen gave
her to eat but at the end the handsome Prince came and gave Snow White a true love kiss to
wake her up. Unknowingly, the kiss actually broke the spell of death from the wicked queen.
Then Snow White and the Price married and they lived happily ever after.
Mirror Mirror
Sharing similar basic idea, the Mirror Mirror film is not that different from the "Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs" film from Disney; Mirror Mirror has some differences from
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The differences lie on the characteristics of the female
lead character, Snow White. Mirror Mirror has the same background of story with the former
film. However, in this film, the queen was broke so she had to find a solution to solve this
problem. The problem solving was she had to married someone rich and the man was the
Prince of Valencia. The scene where the queen asked the mirror was not that different from
the former. She also decided to kill Snow White to make her to be the most beautiful woman
and to keep the Prince of Valencia for herself only. Snow White in this story also escaped
herself into the forest and also asked the seven dwarfs to let her lived with them. The Seven
Dwarfs agreed to let Snow White lived with them; however if she wanted to stay with them
she must live like they live. So she was taught how to stand still on an unstable thing, fight
with sword, focusing on something, fighting, and others; she could follow whatever the
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dwarfs taught her to do until they made an act to make sure that Snow White could do
robbery; Snow White had to do robbery because in this story the seven dwarfs were thieves.
In Mirror Mirror film it was narrated that the day when the queen had to marry the prince;
Snow White kidnapped him and released him from the queen's spell. The queen soon toke
revenge to Snow White and tried to kill Snow White with her own hands. Snow White did
not let herself being beaten by the queen, so she decided to collect all her courage and faced
her. She would not let herself being like all princesses in the book that she read in the castle
who needed to be saved by the prince, but she wanted to save her prince. The queen
successfully defeated by Snow White, Snow White finally saved not only the prince but also
her father from the queen's spell. In her wedding day there was an ugly old woman who
wanted to give her a juicy red apple as her wedding present. But, Snow White could not be
fooled by it. Once again she defeated the wicked queen and finally she married to the prince
of Valencia and they lived happily ever after.
2. Snow White
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a film which was released at 1937. It is the first
princess' story which was produced by Disney. According to Sutton by 1930's money was
scarce because of the depression, so people did what they could to make their lives happy.
Movies were hot, parlor games and board games were popular. 1 As products of society
members, films sometime reflect what happen in the society; the producer may take a
phenomenon that happening in the society at that time. According to Freedman (464), firstwave feminism was a period of activity during the nineteenth century and early twentieth
1
"1930-1939." American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood
Library, 1999. 7 Feb. 2011. <http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html >
A n g g r a i n i | 12
century. In the UK and US, it focused on the promotion of equal contract, marriage, parenting,
and property rights for women.
By the end of the nineteenth century, activities focused primarily on gaining political
power, particularly the right of women's suffrage, though some feminists were active in
campaigning for women's sexual, reproductive, and economic rights as well. It was the time
when women were still struggling to get their equality among the society. Sawyer (9) said
that women at that time -first wave of feminism era- were moderate and conservative; they
did not plan on making a stir in equality of the home setting. They mainly wanted to be able
to vote since they had been able to help with World War I efforts and some already had jobs
because of it. These women were very much still housewives and were the prototypical
model of what Snow White and Sleeping Beauty would be if the princess movies were reality.
Since literary works can be said as the reflection of the real situation that currently happens;
so that when the first wave era of feminism was still taking place, the literary works would be
influenced by it. The literary works on that year would have big theme about feminism's first
movement which that is why we can see that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was
influenced by the first wave of feminism era.
As the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were released in the time of first wave of
feminism era, it reflected the phenomenon in the society, especially in America. Sawyer (16)
mentioned that Snow White and Aurora were what an early 20th century housewife in
America was supposed to act. The female main character, Snow White represented women of
the era who struggled in their society, where women were the second sex or the second
position after men; women were restricted in domestic area whether men were in the outside
domestic area which was larger than domestic area.
A n g g r a i n i | 13
In the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the queen successfully replaced the king
position who actually was the first position in a kingdom. She liked to prove that woman also
could rule a kingdom by herself. However, after the queen achieved the power to rule, she
also ruled over Snow White. However, Snow White, as mentioned previously represented
the second sex in the society. She was under the queen's power and really submissive to her
step-mother. When she was hiding from the queen after the scene where Snow White was
being the target of queen's anger who wanted to kill her, she stayed at the dwarfs hut for a
while which showed that Snow White was afraid of being killed by her step-mother. In
dwarfs' hut, Snow White did the house chores like cooking, washed the dishes, and cleaned
the hut and others.
The depiction of Snow White in dwarfs‟ hut showed that women should work only in
domestic area; they could not work outside like what men do; Gunter as cited in Sawyer (6)
said that women were seen as domestic, focused mainly on family and personal relationships;
they were considered highly emotional individuals, less competent and dependent on their
male counterparts for emotional and financial support. Before Snow White's father passed
away, she was protected by her father, however after the father died, Snow White was
protected to seven dwarfs.
On the other hand, Snow White in the film Mirror Mirror is the transformation character
from the conventional character of Snow White into the modern one. What the writer
attempts to say is that Snow White in the Mirror Mirror is the female main character that
attempts to prove to audience that women are not longer the second sex below the men. There
are some evidences in the film that showing Snow White tries to break the assumption of the
second sex. Some evidences are when Snow White learned how to fight using sword, she was
A n g g r a i n i | 14
also taught how to be a thief, she fought for her dream and her love, and the most important
was she saved the prince when the prince was under the queen's spell.
Mirror Mirror was made on 2011 and released on 2012 where actually is included in the
third-wave of feminism movement. Women in third wave of feminism era were seen much
better than the women in the first wave of feminism era. The first and the second wave
feminism era were concerning of white woman, whether in the third wave, its concern was
women generally, including lesbians. Third wave of feminism era's central issues are that of
race, social class, and sexuality. Women in that time had made an improvement toward their
self. Snow White in Mirror Mirror film is a representation of women actually.
Firstly, Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was depicted as weak,
submissive, dependent, passive woman; however, in the Mirror Mirror Snow White
characters slowly develop, she began to collect her courage to come out from the castle to see
what happened to the citizen, then she bravely asked the prince to join with her to save the
citizen from poverty and etc. As the writer mentioned before, Snow White in the Mirror
Mirror was a picture of women who were developing from their low position in the society.
In the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the character Snow White was depicted as
a weak, submissive, dependent person, needed to be help and etc. whether in the Mirror
Mirror, Snow White was depicted as a strong, independent, active, willing to learn new
things and etc. here are some pictures and the dialogue that show the Snow White's
transformation character in the both films.
A n g g r a i n i | 15
2.1 Submissive vs. Assertive
In the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs there was a scene where showing that Snow
White was a submissive character in the film. The submissiveness that Snow White showed
in the film was when she was doing what the queen told her to do. In the early scene of the
film Snow White was doing her house chores in her own castle while wearing bad cloth. She
was not treated like the princess should be treated and sadly Snow White did not refuse the
treatment that the queen gave to her. However, in the Mirror Mirror, Snow White was
depicted as an assertive character, she was confident to go out from the castle to look out how
the village‟s condition after her father the king, passed away.
````
figure 1
figure 2
Fig. 1. Picture: Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1), Snow White in Mirror
Mirror (2).
Picture 1. It shows that Snow White was clothed in bad clothing and she had to do the
house chores as what the queen's told her to do. Picture 2. This scene is when finally Snow
White decided to leave the castle to take a look in the village near the castle. In Picture 1. it
shows that Snow White was doing her house chores which actually show how submissive she
A n g g r a i n i | 16
was to the queen. Whether in the second picture, Snow White in Mirror Mirror bravely came
out from the castle. In the early scene Snow White was sneaking out to the ball room where
the queen played "human-chess". However, the queen called Snow White and told her to
keep staying in her room no matter what, even if her room was on fire. But despite the queen
order her to not leave her room; she bravely left the castle to look the village near the castle.
Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the maid in her own castle and she
was only given an area inside the castle, she could not go out from the castle, whether Snow
White in Mirror Mirror bravely sneaked out from the castle to check the village or the citizen
of the kingdom by herself. This situation seems to show that Snow White in Mirror Mirror is
brave or assertive to find out what the world outside the kingdom looks like whether the
former Snow White is not. Snow White in Mirror Mirror finally made a move to break the
border around her which the queen made for her. So that Snow White could have a new
adventure outside the kingdom.
2.2 Defenseless vs. Armed
figure 3
figure 4
A n g g r a i n i | 17
Fig. 2. Picture: Snow White and the queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (3), Snow
White in Mirror Mirror helping the dwarfs from the queen's magic puppets (4).
Picture 3. This scene shows that Snow White in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
was not aware with the stranger who came to her offering apples. She was defenseless so that
the queen successfully tricked her to receive and eat the poisoned apple. Picture 4. In this
scene, the queen sent two magic puppets to where Snow White lived with the dwarfs. She
was aware that the things that attacked the dwarfs and her were controlled by someone. Then
she toke her sword and then cut the wire that the queen used to control the puppets.
Beauvoir (256) in her book mentioned that since little, girls were taught to do domestic
chores, dressed in an inconvenience and frilly clothes so they would careful with it, they
should not like a would-be boys, they also forbade to fight. These were told in the society at
that old time, so these made women were defenseless, need to be helped, and also dependent.
On the other hand, Snow White in Mirror Mirror was able to defense herself when she was in
the trouble, even helped the dwarfs. Snow White in Mirror Mirror was indirectly taught to be
an independent person and not being passive and wait to be helped person.
Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was mostly seen in scenes where she
was a really defenseless character. For example, the scene where Snow White and the
huntsman were in the forest, Snow White was picking the flowers while the huntsman
prepared him self to kill Snow White. When Snow White knew that the huntsman wanted to
kill her, what she did was shouting and covering her eyes with her hands, she did not run
away or fight back to keep her life save. This scene was showing that she was not an armed
character; she was not aware and thinks fast what she should do when she was in the
dangerous situation.
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While in Mirror Mirror, Snow White was seen as an armed character. Like what the
writer mentioned earlier that Snow White was being prepared to use sword or any kind of
tools to defense herself when she was in dangerous situation. There was a scene that Snow
White defense for herself while in the dangerous situation. Snow White and the dwarfs were
in the middle of robbing someone in the forest and it was Prince Alcott. She had a fight with
the prince, first she only used her sword to fight, but in the middle of fight her sword was
seized by the Prince. So she did a quick analysis to analyzed the situation, so she took a stone
near her and threw it to a branch which full with snow, and then the snow fell down to the
horse and the horse kicked its back legs which unfortunately its kicked the prince and Snow
White won the fight.
2.3 Object vs. Subject
figure 5
figure 6
Fig. 3. Picture: Snow White was kissed by the Prince to break the spell in Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs (5), Snow White kissed the Prince to break the spell in Mirror Mirror (6).
Picture 5. It is the moment where the Prince came to see the dead beautiful lady laid in
the glass coffin and kiss her in the mouth. By kissing Snow White the Prince did not know
A n g g r a i n i | 19
that actually his kiss could break the Queen's spell. This shows that Snow White needed to be
wakened up by Prince by kissing her to break the spell. As mentioned previously that Snow
White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film was depicted as a passive person who waited
to be helped by the others. The Prince was the person who saves Snow White, so the Prince
was the active character or the subject in the film. This also shows that woman was still under
the man and needed man to help woman to finish or to do something.
Picture 6. In former film the Prince should kiss Snow White to wake her up from her slept
after eat the poisoned apple, however, in Mirror Mirror film Snow White kissed Prince
Alcott in order to break the Queen's spell and Snow White successfully broke the spell. In
this film Snow White was representing women who no longer needed to be helped, but
became the one who helped the need.
Before the scene of the Prince kissed Snow White in order to break the spell in Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White was in the hut alone with the queen, she was
tricked by the queen with the poison apple and she easily tricked by her. Snow White was
poisoned and fell asleep then the dwarfs were in a rush to the hut to rescue Snow White from
the queen. This scene shows that Snow White becomes the object that needs to be saved by
the dwarfs and after the prince came, he was the one who saved Snow White.
On the other hand, Snow White in Mirror Mirror was becoming the subject who rescued
the dwarfs, the prince and even the king. The King was actually turned into a beast because
the wicked queen spelled him. In the fight between the Snow White and the queen, after
Snow White broke the queen‟s spell on the prince, the queen ordered the beast to kill Snow
White. However, Snow White was not easily beaten; she noticed that the beast wore a
A n g g r a i n i | 20
necklace, so she broke the chain and the beast turned back into the king and she saved the
king.
2.4 Naïve vs. Intelligent
figure 7
figure 8
Fig. 4. Picture: Snow White and the queen in Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (7), Snow
White and the queen in Mirror Mirror (8).
Picture 7. This scene is when the queen who turned herself into old ugly woman
persuaded Snow White to take the poisoned apple. The queen then said that after Snow White
biting the apple and saying her wish, the wish will be come true. This scene was actually
showing that how innocent Snow White was, so she could easily believe that by eating the
apple her wish would come true. Picture 8. The same scene in Mirror Mirror when the queen
gave the poisoned apple to Snow White; what made this scene in Mirror Mirror different
from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the reaction from Snow White after she received
the apple. In Mirror Mirror Snow White received the apple but she did not bite the apple. She
gave the first bite to the ugly queen and defeated the queen.
A n g g r a i n i | 21
Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs surrendered to the condition and
situation where she only received what people did to her, for example like in Picture 7.
However, Snow White in Mirror Mirror coped the situation using her intelligent and use it to
defeat the queen. Snow White in Mirror Mirror noticed that the old lady was the powerless
queen, so she cut a little piece from the apple which the queen gave as a wedding gift and
gave it back to the queen. She also said to the queen the exact statement that the queen used
to say to Snow White, “It is important to know when you have been beaten, yes?” (Mirror
Mirror)
The other scene of the innocent or naïve Snow White in Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs was when she was in the forest after she run away from the huntsman. Snow White
and the animals had a small conversation, she said that she was so afraid and she did not
know what to do. Then she had an idea that to make everything fine she could sing a song
and just smile; and everything was just going to be fine. This shows that Snow White only
had a simple idea to face a serious problem and showed how naïve or innocent Snow White
was.
2.5 Limited vs. Limitless
Both Snow Whites in those two films were working. However, their jobs were completely
different one to another. As the writer mentioned earlier, the former film Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs, Snow White worked as a maid in her own castle and also in the dwarfs' house.
Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was depicted as women whose territory
only in domestic area. They will only take care of the house, preparing the meal for whole
family, cook, iron, take care of the children if they have children and etc. Moran said that
feminists who did manage to retain a sense of urgency in stirring enthusiasm and public
A n g g r a i n i | 22
support for equal rights had to face an antagonistic majority of their society, who felt that a
woman put her talents to their best use in the domestic environs of her family. This makes the
writer thinks that women are only allowed to taking care the domestic area whether the
husband take cares other areas apart from the domestic ones.
On the other hand, Snow White in the Mirror Mirror film worked as a thief. She was
trained well by the dwarfs to become a thief. Snow White was willing to learn to use sword,
learn how to become a thief, she was not only learn how to defense for herself but also attack
the opponent when she got into trouble. This was showing that the modern Snow White
attempted to show to the viewers that she was an independent and strong woman, who could
protect herself when she was in trouble time and also being a limitless woman. Over all in the
Mirror Mirror film, Snow White did many things like saving and helping the Prince, the
dwarfs, the King, the citizen and also herself than Snow White in the Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.
The time when Snow White was with the dwarfs, Snow White was learning how to
believe in herself. She learned to be a strong, independent, brave and active woman. This
modern princess's characteristic is that women should notice that they have to have it in their
self. Women nowadays should know that innocent, weak, submissive, passive, dependent
women are no longer popular. This film also indirectly teaches the viewers to believe to their
self, as one of the dwarfs say about believe, Will grim, "… people can't think to be tall if you
short, can't be strong if you are not, the weakness is only weakness if you think of it that
way…" (Mirror Mirror). The writer does agree with what the dwarf says about believe, we
should believe that we as women are not helpless, dependent, weak, and passive, but we are
strong, independent, active women.
A n g g r a i n i | 23
3. Films and the society
Smith (23) mentioned that there exists a very large possibility that media now shape
cultural attitudes, as well as reflect them; which the writer also believe that films also reflect
the society's condition and situation. Therefore sometime we watch some films that were
made based on what had happened at the time the films were made. Cornwell (2) mentioned
that Director John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath 1930's film) used the existing social problem
as a background for the development of the film's major themes: familial survival and the
related struggle for human dignity, especially for the common man or the "have nots" of
society. She also mentioned the time period in which the story took place was obviously
crucial to the theme and message of the films (5).
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney is a 1930's film which when at that
time women were struggling to get right to vote and inequality. In that time, women were
seen inferior to men. According to Beauvoir as cited in Tidd (52) women were seen as the
second-class citizen after men who were the first-class citizen in patriarchal society. This
condition where women were the second-class citizen led the oppression to women itself.
Men were originally since the beginning of social organization, men, as physically stronger
beings, were better adapted to heavy manual work involved in hunting, fishing and defending
the tribe and women were involved in domestic work and raising children. Women had been
obliged to adapt to this patriarchal system, which maintained them in a subordinate position.
Through Snow White‟s characteristics and actions in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
was actually a depiction of the real society in the first wave of feminism era on how women
struggled to get their equality in the society. They seem to struggle for it but they did not
make it and the result that they got from it was the oppression from other sexes or even the
A n g g r a i n i | 24
same sexes who had a higher status; and that made women were seen weak, subordinate,
dependent, and passive.
Beauvoir as cited in Tidd (51) also said that society was consequently structured to
perpetuate patriarchal ideology and women were maintained in an inferior position. This
persistence of patriarchal ideology throughout history had enabled men to assume that they
had a right to maintain women in a subordinate state and women had internalized and adapted
to this oppressed state. Based on what Beauvoir said about women and men inequalities, we
can also see in the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where Snow White was depicted
as a submissive, weak, passive, dependent young woman who needed the seven dwarfs and
the prince to keep herself save from the wicked queen. In the earlier film it was told that
Snow White was save because of her father protect her. However, after the father passed
away, she had no place to hide, and then the prince and the seven dwarfs appeared to be
Snow White's protector and savior.
Like what Beauvoir (107) stated in her book The Second Sex that when she became a
young girl, the father had all power over her; when she married he transfers it in toto to the
husband. In this case Snow White had not yet got married to the Prince, so she unconsciously
made the dwarfs as her protector. Just like we mostly seen in daily life that young girls before
they marry they will be under the fathers‟ protection, whether after they marry they will be
under their husbands' protection. So why cannot they independently protect their self?
Film as the reflection of the society also brings a stereotype on sexual role in the society
which leads to sexual oppression. Sexual oppression continues because, according to
Beauvoir as cited in Tidd (51), gender roles were learned from the very earliest age and
reinforced perpetually. Like in the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White or
A n g g r a i n i | 25
woman was depicted as weak, submissive, passive, dependent character. This depiction of
women leads the viewers have stereotype about women that women should be submissive,
passive, dependent, and weak; whether men are depicted as more powerful than women, who
suppose to help the helpless women.
On the other hand, Mirror Mirror which was released on 2012 that had the same basic
story of Snow White, made a new ending and couple of changing story in it. Mirror Mirror
was made in the third wave of feminism era which was happening since 1990's until present.
This film attempted to show to the viewers that the society where we live right now is the
society where women and men are seen equal; and even Snow White in Mirror Mirror who
represents women nowadays are seen more dominant than the prince.
The founder and leader of third wave feminism Rebecca Walker writes: whether the
young women who refused the feminist label realize it or not, on some level they recognized
that an ideal woman born of prevalent notions of how empowered women look, act, or think
was simply another impossible contrivance of perfect womanhood, another scripted role to
perform in the name of biology and virtue. Walker's statement seems to make women realize
that women should empowered their self to become better in the society. What The writer
means with better here is women should not only become a passive, submissive, weak and
dependent, but they should be more active, independent, and strong.
Mirror Mirror is one of new version of old fairy tales that tells the viewers to empower
their self like the main female character, Snow White. The time when Mirror Mirror was
made is the time when nowadays women are much stronger than women in the old times;
however, some women nowadays still look their self as women in the old time. Mirror
Mirror film was showing to the viewers that women were not helpless, weak, dependent
A n g g r a i n i | 26
anymore, Snow White in Mirror Mirror film showed that she wanted to change the old
women style which was needed to be helped, passive, dependent, and weak.
We are still living in the patriarchy society where men are the superior to women;
however, patriarchal does not only talk about men are superior to women. According to
Millett the founder of social politics said that it was possible that patriarchy was to set woman
against the other, it could happen not only about the wealth and education but also about
beauty and age. The same problem that we can see in both films Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs and Mirror Mirror; how the queen felt jealous to Snow White because of her youth
and mostly to Snow White's beauty. The queen even attempted to kill Snow White to become
the fairest lady in whole kingdom. Politic that Millett means here does not literary narrow and
exclusive sector known as institutional or official politics but it is a structured relationships,
the entire arrangement whereby one group of people is governed by another, one group is
dominant and the other subordinate. We know that the queen in these both two films rules
over Snow White, because the queen is more dominant than the Snow White.
The dominant ruled over the minor might happen in the former film; however in the
Mirror Mirror film, Snow White did not let the queen rule over her. She fought for her right
to get her dream, throne, and love. To get what she wanted, Snow White in the Mirror Mirror
film was willing to learn how to be a robber, not merely became a robber but actually she
learnt how to defense herself when she got in to trouble. At the end of the film, Snow White
successfully proved that she could protect herself, saved her father, the Prince, and also the
dwarfs.
As the writer mentioned earlier that Snow White in Mirror Mirror film is a
transformation character from the former character, which empower women to develop their
A n g g r a i n i | 27
self. Snow White in Mirror Mirror is a depiction of women nowadays who fight for their
dream, love, and even for the family. In daily life we may hear businesswoman term, which
means that women also take part in business world which actually mostly business is include
of male area. Even women seen as the secondary position in the society, they make a big step
to join the world where male mostly dominate. Again the writer wants to say that Snow
White in the Mirror Mirror film is depicted as a dominant character which actually shows
that women are no longer in the secondary position below men in the society.
Conclusion
Along with the transformation of the era, the literary works also get influenced by the
transformation of the era. Since the era is changing the way people thinking or their
perception of something will also changing. Like the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
which was released during the first wave of feminism, the producer of the film Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs would attempt to put ideas related to what happened in the society at
that time. While in the film Mirror Mirror, which was released in 2012 -during the third
wave of feminism- the producer also put ideas that are related to what happen nowadays.
Basically these two films are not very different, however, the time when the movies were
released are different, the one was released in the first wave of feminism era and the other
one was released in the third wave of feminism era; due to the different time of releasing time,
the perception or the way people think about something are also changing or different.
Because literary works are the reflection of the society, once the situation of a society
changing, it will cause the changing of literary works too.
The discussion reveals that Snow White in the former film having a transformation or
developing character in the newest film. The former Snow White in Snow White and the
A n g g r a i n i | 28
Seven Dwarfs who firstly was depicted as a weak, submissive, passive, helpless, dependent
character, in Mirror Mirror she was depicted as a strong, active, independent, and brave
character. These developing characteristics are shown from Snow White action toward the
problem she faced in the film. Firstly she was trained to defense herself in the forest during
the time when she was hiding from the queen; secondly she protected the dwarfs from the
Queen's black magic. The third is when Snow White successfully broke the spell that the
Queen gave to the Prince. And the last was Snow White defeated the Queen in the forest and
also on her wedding celebration.
The discussion also shows that film is a reflection of the society where we live. Like these
two films that one of the films depicted women in the first wave of feminism era where
women struggled to get their rights to be equal to men in many field and also oppression to
woman by another woman. Then the female character, Snow White in Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs developed into a woman who finally fought and showed the real action of
transformation of woman. It was shown on how Snow White in the Mirror Mirror was no
longer noticed as a dependent, weak, defenseless, needed to be helped and passive woman
but she fought for herself (love, dream, freedom), saved the prince, the king, the dwarfs and
also the people in the village. In the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow white cared
about herself, she was known for her beauty, innocent and naïve character which depicted
women at that old time, whether Snow White in Mirror Mirror was not only known for her
beauty but also for her brave, intelligent, independent, active character which we may find
these days.
So from the finding that the writer finds in this study, the writer attempts to empower
women to have characteristics like Snow White in Mirror Mirror than like Snow White in the
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. So that women can be seen in an equal position with men
in the society and no more being the second-class.
A n g g r a i n i | 30
Acknowledgement
I take this opportunity to express my sincerely gratitude to those who help and give me
support to finish this thesis. First, my deep gratitude to my greatest teacher, father, mentor,
and my everything, Jesus Christ, without His faithful guidance from the very first semester
until the very last semester of my study, the blessing, love, wisdom, and many things.
Secondly, my special gratitude to my family; Papa, Mama, Koh San-san, Cik Inge and Koh
Roy for the support, prays and advices. Third is to Ibu Suzana Maria L.A F., M.Hum for
guiding me patiently during the process, to Ibu Anna Sriastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum, the examiner
of my thesis, for examining my thesis. The last but not least is for MK Youth Salatiga who
supports me during the process thank you for the prayer. Thanks to my besties, Natalia Raras
Anggani and Setyowati Oktavianita, thanks for all. God bless you.
A n g g r a i n i | 31
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